Force apologises for failures in Babes in the Wood investigation

SUSSEX Police has finally apologised to the families of two girls murdered almost 40 years ago, after admitting a series of blunders in the original investigation.

Karen Hadaway and Nicola Fellows, who became known as the Babes in the Wood, were killed by paedophile Russell Bishop as they played near their homes in Wild Park in Moulsecoomb in October 1986.

Bishop stood trial over the killings in 1987 but was cleared after a shambolic police and prosecution case and a false alibi from his then girlfriend, who was later jailed for perjury.

Three years after his acquittal, Bishop kidnapped and molested a seven-year-old girl, who was left for dead at Devil’s Dyke in Sussex.

In 2018, after a long campaign by the families and a change in the double jeopardy laws, Bishop was retried for the murders and finally found guilty.

He died in prison in 2022 and five years after his conviction, Sussex Police has apologised to the families over a series of failings in the original investigation, including the wrongful arrest of Barrie Fellows, Nicola’s father, in 2009.

He was questioned on suspicion of sharing indecent images, but the force has now accepted that there was no evidence of any wrongdoing on his part.

The apology follows an independent review commissioned by the force after complaints from the victims’ families.

In a statement, Chief Constable Jo Shiner said: “It is clear that, despite the successful prosecution in 2018, mistakes were made in those earlier investigations in 1986 and 2009.

“On behalf of Sussex Police, I have met in person with both families to formally and personally apologise for those failings in the initial investigation.

“I have further apologised to Nicola’s father, Barrie Fellows, for his unjustified arrest in 2009 and for the distress and the long-lasting impact this had on him and his family.

“I make it clear now. Barrie should not have been arrested. There was, and remains, no evidence of any wrongdoing on his part.

“It is evident that Nicola and Karen’s families were let down by Sussex Police in the past and it is right that we own and learn from these mistakes.”

In a statement, the families of both girls said: “There are still more answers to be sought in relation to the 1987 failures, but the part that Sussex Police had to play in the initial miscarriages of justice has now been answered and we appreciate the open and authentic way our apologies have been delivered.”